Effective October 26, 2026
The Clay Communicator Ltd. Co. (“The Clay Communicator,” “we,” “us”) publishes local news for Clay County, West Virginia, at theclaycommunicator.com. This policy explains what information we collect when you read, subscribe, comment, send a tip, submit an obituary, or buy tickets through our site, how we use it, and the choices you have.
Information you give us
- Newsletter sign-ups. Your email address, so we can send you our stories. Subscriptions are managed through Jetpack and WordPress.com.
- Comments and condolences. The name, email address and website you enter, the text of your comment, and your IP address. Your email is never shown publicly.
- News tips and contact forms. Whatever you choose to send us, which may include your name, contact details, documents or photos.
- Obituaries, letters and other submissions. The text, photos and contact details you send so we can verify and publish them.
- Event tickets and RSVPs. Your name, email address and order details. Payments are handled by our payment processor; we never see or store your full card number.
- Polls and surveys. Your answers to any poll we publish, collected through Crowdsignal.
- Accounts. If you create an account or log in, your username, email address and profile information.
Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our site and the services that run it automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit, the site that referred you, and the date and time of your visit. This comes from:
- Site statistics (Jetpack Stats, and Google Analytics through Site Kit by Google) to see which stories are read and improve our coverage.
- Advertising (Google AdSense, shown through Advanced Ads), which helps pay for local reporting. Google and its partners may use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this and other websites.
- Spam protection (Akismet), which checks comments and form submissions.
- Profile pictures (Gravatar), which may show an image linked to the email address you use to comment.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored by your browser. We and our service providers use them to keep you logged in, remember comment details, measure traffic and show advertising. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; some features may not work without them. To limit personalized advertising, visit Google Ad Settings or optout.aboutads.info.
How we use information
- To publish the news, run our website and deliver newsletters you ask for.
- To read, verify and follow up on tips, letters, obituaries and other submissions.
- To process ticket orders and send confirmations.
- To moderate comments and protect the site from spam and abuse.
- To understand our audience and improve our reporting.
- To show advertising that supports our newsroom.
- To meet legal obligations.
Tips and confidential sources
We take source protection seriously. Information you send through our tip form is read by our editors and reporters and used only for reporting. We do not share it outside the newsroom unless you agree or we are required to by law. For extra privacy, consider sending tips while logged out of any account and from a network you trust.
How we share information
We do not sell your personal information for money. We share it only:
- With service providers that run our site and services for us, such as WordPress.com and Jetpack (Automattic), Akismet, Google, Crowdsignal and our payment processor, under their own privacy policies.
- When you choose to make it public, such as a published comment, letter or obituary.
- When required by law, or to protect the rights, safety or property of our readers, staff or others.
- If our business is sold or reorganized, as part of that transaction.
Some state privacy laws treat advertising cookies as a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information. You can opt out using the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link at the bottom of our site.
How long we keep information
We keep information only as long as we need it for the purposes above. Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe. Comments stay with the story they were posted on unless you ask us to remove them. Published stories, letters and obituaries are part of our permanent archive.
Your choices and rights
- Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email.
- Ask us to see, correct or delete personal information we hold about you.
- Ask us to remove a comment you posted.
- Opt out of personalized advertising as described above.
To make a request, email us at [contact email]. We may need to confirm your identity before acting on it. Note that we generally do not remove published news stories, but we will review requests to correct errors.
Children
Our site is meant for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact us at [contact email] and we will delete it.
Security
We use reasonable safeguards, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) and the security protections of our hosting provider. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Links and embedded content
Our stories may link to or embed content from other websites, such as Facebook, YouTube or government sites. Those sites have their own privacy practices, and embedded content may collect information as if you visited the other site directly.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the effective date above. Significant changes will be noted on this page.
Contact us
The Clay Communicator Ltd. Co.
Clay, West Virginia
Email: business@theclaycommunicator.com